Enigma
by Pir8grl
Summary: Dimension hopping Rose finds a Doctor...just not the one she was looking for. Written for the Time Petals Ficlet Friday prompt Bonfires & Fireplaces, plus the bonus twist, plus the Dimension Hopping Rose prompt A New Planet.
1. Chapter 1

"'M cold, Doctor," Rose whimpered.

"I know you are, my dear, but the TARDIS has a lovely fire going, and you should be right as rain in no time."

There was something wrong with that voice, Rose thought groggily, and she wondered why she felt soft velvet under her cheek, instead of wool, or worn leather, but the hum of the TARDIS lulled her back into the depths of sleep.

"Who is she, Old Girl? You seem to know her, and she knows you, but I've never seen her before. Meridea 16 during blizzard season is the last place I'd expect to find a wandering human."

The TARDIS chirped irritably at him. He raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing, intrigued by the lovely woman sprawled across his lap. Well. Time would tell. It always did.

The Doctor stared into the crackling flames, and waited for the enigma in his arms to awaken.


	2. Chapter 2

The dimension cannon beeped, startling Rose awake. She felt the hum of the TARDIS inside her head, and a pair of strong arms holding her, and for just a moment, she kept her eyes squeezed shut, trying to hold onto the illusion that it was really him. And then he spoke, and the sound of a strange voice shattered the dream.

"Hello?" he asked tentatively.

Rose fluttered her eyes open and tried to smile for him. It was the Doctor, after all, even if it wasn't her Doctor. "Hello," she whispered, voice rough from her ordeal in the snow. Tears welled in her eyes - it was their greeting, and he didn't know it, not yet.

"How are you feeling? Can you tell me your name?" he asked gently.

"I'm better, thanks. Would have been a popsicle if not for you."

"It was my pleasure," he replied, with a courtly manner that was so unlike either of her own Doctors.

Rose struggled to sit upright, and he helped her, settling her beside him on the overstuffed divan. Her gaze took in the polished wood panels, homey antiques, and overflowing bookcases, and she wanted to weep, knowing that it would all be swept away, before she ever even met him properly. The TARDIS hummed soothingly in her mind.

The Doctor felt it, and a puzzled expression crossed his face, but then he smiled. "I'm the Doctor, but I think you know that already. Won't you tell me who you are?"

Rose bit her lip uncertainly. "I dunno if I should. You see, we haven't met yet."

"So I gathered. I must admit - I am intrigued. My ship knows you, you're not alarmed by the fact that I look different to what you're accustomed, and you managed to get yourself all the way out to Meridea 16, without a ship. I'm guessing that last bit was unplanned, judging by the way you're dressed."

Rose smiled. "Yeah. We locked on to the TARDIS. Just my luck, it was the wrong one."

"The right one, if you ask me. It's not as though this is the only TARDIS in the universe, you know. Some of my fellow Time Lords can be, well, rather less charming than me."

He saw the way she sucked in a quick breath at his words, and struggled to keep her smile in place.

"Won't you please tell me who you are? Perhaps I can help."

"I'm someone from your future. We got…separated…an' I've been tryin' to find a way back."

"I see. That's a chancy business, you know, especially with the rather primitive technology you're using."

"Oi! Got me this far, didn't it?"

"Yes. Yes it did," he replied.

His smile was so open, and his eyes so sparkling with mirth, that it nearly broke Rose's heart. She wondered, just for a moment, what it would be like to travel with this him, to see the universe through eyes that weren't scarred from war and irreparable loss.

"Come with me," he offered impulsively, as if reading her thoughts. "All of time and space, and maybe a better chance to meet up with the correct version of myself."

It was tempting, but… Rose shook her head. "S'probably not a good idea," she said regretfully. "When I met him - you - it wasn't just a lark. You needed me. Best not to mess with that."

"So mysterious," he murmured. "I do look forward to meeting you properly, someday."

"So do I." Rose reached out for his hand, not so surprised to find that it fit hers perfectly. "Just…try to remember, no matter what happens, no matter how bad things get…there are good people out there who depend on you. You may not know who they are, and they may not know who you are, but you keep them safe. The universe needs you, Doctor. Always."

"That's quite a lot to live up to."

Rose grinned at him. "You're up for the challenge. I really should go, before I say too much. Best to do this outside, I think."

"I suppose," the Doctor agreed, reluctantly. He rose gracefully to his feet, and escorted her to the door, noticing when she laid a fond hand on the console in passing. He lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of it. "'Til we meet again."

Rose smiled wistfully as she strode back out into the blowing snow, pausing several yards away to call in for pick up.

The Doctor stood watching from the doorway of the TARDIS. "Who are you?" he shouted back, over the wind.

"Someone who l-"

And then there was a bright flash of light, and she was gone.

*~*~*~*~*


End file.
